By Karla, guest blogger
This year, it seems like everyone is decorating and celebrating the Holiday season early. People who have fought the overwhelming encroachment of the Holidays are now embracing it as a way to focus on joy and cheer and coziness.
But the season of giving also means a lot of, well, getting. And for this simplifying mama, the idea of filling our house with MORE STUFF, whether it’s decorations or toys, has me verging on panic.
Especially when it comes to child-spaces. Whether it’s the playroom or your kid’s bedroom, there are a few things we can do this year to create a simpler Christmas experience for all.
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Simplifying for the kids
Here’s my list of ways to simplify the Holidays for the kids – and you.
1. Make it meaningful
Photo by Karla Sumner, guest blogger for MothersRest
Create a clean slate and then add a few meaningful decorations.
Around here, we like our decorations. But adding decorations to a space that’s already full (um, your kid’s overflowing-with-stuff-bedroom?) makes the house feel cluttered – not cozy. This means before you can spread Christmas cheer, you’ve gotta clear a space to work with – like the top of the dresser, night stand or book case.
If there’s room to put items in closets, fantastic! If not, use those Holiday storage bins you just emptied of Christmas decor. Then when you’re ready to put decorations away (which happens to be December 26th for me), pull all your regular decor out of the box. Voila, Christmas is done and life is back to normal!
Side note: I can’t tell you how many times removing items for Christmas has made me forget about them altogether and realize I didn’t really need them in the first place.
2. Get the elves involved
Photo by Erin Walker on Unsplash.com
If you’re into Elf on the Shelf, start his visit this year with a message of giving. There are a million ways to phrase his arrival letter – thank you, Pinterest! But the message to the kiddos is the same:
You want something from Santa? You’ve got to give something first.
Use that little elf to clean up and clear out your child’s room. All those old toys and out-grown sweaters? Yep, they’re outta here! Out of sight, out of mind.
3. Reverse your advent calendar
Photo by Torsten Dettlaff from Pexels.com
The Reverse Advent Calendar is a nice alternative to Elf on the Shelf. Made popular over the last couple of years, it encourages families to give something away EVERY DAY, instead of getting a new treat. And it works well for a couple of different reasons.
It gives you a focus for your donations. Are you selecting a local food bank or charity? What products do they specifically need that you can find each day in your house? Narrow that down to an organization that needs children’s toys/books/clothes and put that box in your child’s room for their daily donation.
It’s less overwhelming for your child. Instead of doing a mass clean out of their favorite belongings, it’s one item a day. Each day they select one thing, put it in the box, and they’re done!
You might need to set a couple guidelines. Like, there are no take-backs. In other words, if you didn’t want it on day 3, you don’t want it on day 17, either.
It’s a new family tradition. Add a Reverse Advent Calendar to the kitchen and each day select a food or household item that you have extra of. By the end of December, you’ve created a pretty fantastic pantry for a family in need.
Ultimately, you’re giving away TWENTY FOUR toys/clothes/items that will not only help reduce your child’s clutter situation (and yours), but will also help other families in need during the Holidays.
Side note: I’m personally guilty of hindering the donation process. When my little guy chose to give away the Lisa Frank stuffed tiger I gave him from my childhood, I had a few things to say. While I still have the power at the end of the day to keep anything I deem worthy, it was a lesson for both of us to not create unnecessary attachments to things. I mean, do I really need Lisa Frank stuffed tigers at age 35? This is about letting him make choices – and foster generosity.
4. Plan for gift-storage as you shop
Photo by Alexas-Fotos from Pixabay.com
This can be as cute or as plain and practical as you like.
One of my absolute favorite ideas for simplifying your child’s space, in general, is a toy library. This is a fantastic concept if you have an extra closet or even garage storage. Basically, toys are kept in labeled boxes (Rubbermaid bins in my non-fancy world) and “checked-out” one or two at a time. Want to play with hot wheels? Well, you better fill up your legos Rubbermaid box and put it back first!
With this in mind, it’s easy to plan out how Santa’s purchases will fit (or not fit at all) into your current storage system. If I know Santa is bringing a new art set, but the current art bin is already full, I’ve got a couple options:
1) Re-assess the purchase.
2) Purge the previous art box of anything that can be added to our give-away stock.
I also include my seven-year-old in discussions like this: Do you really need this new art kit? Let’s look at what you have and see how it will fit in.
5. Be mindful in what you buy (and why)
Photo by Rawpixel from Pixabay.com
This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s so easy to get swept up in ALL.THE.THINGS.
When you buy and buy and buy, don’t forget to stop and really consider the following:
1) Will this truly be played with/cherished/remembered/even liked that much?
2) Is this a space-filler that will be forgotten in a couple of hours? (I’m talking to you, Target-Dollar-Spot-stocking-stuffers!!)
3) Is there an alternative that encourages play/creativity/family time?
4) Is there a place for it to live after Christmas morning?
At the end of the day, we all need to remember that the season is just that: a season that will come and go.
In January, there will be new resolutions to clean and declutter. There will be simplifying challenges and instagram stories of freshly de-Christmased spaces. Yes, starting the season with less will help.
But if Christmas cheer is your thing, let that flag fly high.
From one simplifying mama to another, it’s OK to not put up all the decorations this year nor buy all the gifts. The Holidays are about cheer – not guilt! Find whatever you need to embrace the balance of cozy and simple this Christmas.
For more tips on how to create an easy Christmas with the kiddos, check out this post: 5 tips for easy, breezy Christmas decorating.
And share your own tips to simplify the Holidays below or on Facebook at MothersRest.
About the guest blogger:
Karla is a boy mom (with boy #2 due in the spring!), a school librarian, and a sometimes-crafter. She started blogging at the beginning of 2018 as a way to document her journey to embrace simplicity in her home and her family’s daily life.
Photo credit, featured image: 6979608 from Pixabay.com